No Reserves No Retreat No Regrets

No Reserves, No Retreat, No Regrets: SIAFU Men’s Conference 2016

© 2016. The Urban Ministry Institute. All Rights Reserved. Copying, redistribution, and/or sale of these materials, or any unauthorized transmission, except as may be expressly permitted by the 1976 Copyright Act or in writing from the publisher is prohibited. Requests for permission should be addressed in writing to:

The Urban Ministry Institute 3701 East 13th Street North Wichita, KS 67208

ISBN: 978-1-62932-712-9

Published by TUMI Press A division of World Impact, Inc.

The Urban Ministry Institute is a ministry of World Impact, Inc.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, © 2001 by Crossway Bible, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All Rights Reserved.

We dedicate this booklet to those

Soldiers of Christ in the Cities of the World

who serve Christ in places that are hard and unfriendly, who don’t hesitate to run toward the sound of the fight,

who have surrendered all they are and all they have to Christ, who wage war against the flesh, the world, and the devil every day, all for the sake of pleasing him who has called them out of darkness into his marvelous light.

For these fighters, who never run and never quit, we dedicate this reflection and teaching.

May God grant to each one of them the power to endure and to engage the enemy until the victory for Christ has been won.

Stay awake, stand firm in your faith, be brave, be strong.

~ 1 Corinthians 16.13

“My name is Gladiator!”

Commodus: Your fame is well deserved, Spaniard. I don’t think there’s ever been a gladiator to match you. As for this young man, he insists you are Hector reborn. Or was it Hercules? Why doesn’t the hero reveal himself and tell us all your real name? You do have a name.

Maximus: My name is Gladiator. [turns away from Commodus]

Commodus: How dare you show your back to me! Slave, you will remove your helmet and tell me your name.

Maximus: [removes helmet and turns around to face Commodus] My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions and loyal servant to the TRUE emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next.

[Commodus trembles in disbelief.]

“The general who became a slave. The slave who became a gladiator. The gladiator who defied an emperor.”

Commodus: The general who became a slave. The slave who became a gladiator. The gladiator who defied an emperor. Striking story! But now, the people want to know how the story ends. Only a famous death will do. And what could be more glorious than to challenge the Emperor himself in the great arena?

Maximus: You would fight me?

Commodus: Why not? Do you think I am afraid?

Maximus: I think you’ve been afraid all your life .

“If we stay together, we survive!”

Cassius: On this day, we reach back to hallowed antiquity, to bring you a recreation of the second fall of the mighty Carthage! . . . On the barren plain of Zama, there stood the invincible armies of the barbarian Hannibal. Ferocious mercenaries and warriors from all brute nations, bent on merciless destruction, conquest. Your emperor is pleased to give you the barbarian horde! [Crowd cheers] Maximus: [while Cassius continues his introduction] Anyone here been in the army? [an unknown gladiator responds yes and tells Maximus he served under his command at Vindobona] Maximus: You can help me. Whatever comes out of these gates, we’ve got a better chance of survival if we work together. Do you understand? If we stay together we survive. “Yet how few have made the impact that youngWilliam Borden did, as he inspired his generation and the generations to come with a sterling example of a life lived as a flame of fire for the cause of Jesus Christ. When they looked into his Bible they found three powerful phrases written at different times in his life. While he was in school, having made his decision to forsake a comfortable life of wealth and ease in the U. S. he had written, ‘No reserves.’ After graduating from Yale, with many offers of important positions coming to him, he wrote, ‘No retreat.’ And below these two phrases, written shortly before he died, were the amazing words, ‘No regrets.’” A long time ago there was a woman who was also considered wasteful. She broke an extremely expensive alabaster box of oil, worth nearly a year’s wages, and poured it over the Master’s head. When some objected to the “waste” our Lord refused to condemn her, saying that wherever the gospel was preached this woman’s act of total devotion would be shared as a memorial to her. William Borden was of the same spirit. The Lord Jesus, who gave His precious life and blood for us, deserves our best. “No reserves, no retreat, no regrets.”

And it is never a waste when we give it.

~ Taylor, Borden of Yale

Jesus of Nazareth: No Reserves, No Retreat, No Regrets

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

– Philippians 2.5-11

Table of Contents

No Reserves, No Retreat, No Regrets: Introduction . . . . . . . 11 No Reserves, No Retreat, No Regrets: Theme Song . . . . . . . 12

Session Outlines Session 1 No Reserves: Surrender All to Christ, Without Conditions. . . . . 15 Session 2 No Retreat: Stand Your Ground for Christ, No Matter What . . . . 35 Session 3 No Regrets: Lose Everything for What Really Counts, Without Disappointment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Appendix Appendix 1 The Story of God: Our Sacred Roots . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Appendix 2 Incorporation into the People of the Story: Steps of Discipling Others into the Story of God . . . . . . . 76 Appendix 3 The Theology of Christus Victor . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Appendix 4 Christus Victor: An Integrated Vision for the Christian Life andWitness . . . . . 78 Appendix 5 Ladd’s View of Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Appendix 6 Jesus of Nazareth: The Presence of the Future . . . . . . . . 80 Appendix 7 The Cost of Discipleship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

7

Appendix 8 Substitute Centers to a Christ-Centered Vision: Goods and Effects Which Our Culture Substitutes as the Ultimate Concern. . . 82 Appendix 9 The Importance of Discipline . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 Appendix 10 Understanding Leadership as Representation: The Six Stages of Formal Proxy . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 Appendix 11 Steps to Equipping Others . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 Appendix 12 An Outline for a Vision for Discipleship: “Let’s Give Jesus Christ Our Best and All” . . . . . . . . . . 88 Appendix 13 Living as an Oikos Ambassador . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 Appendix 14 The Oikos Factor: Spheres of Relationship and Influence . . . . . 94 Appendix 15 Elements of an Oikos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 Appendix 16 Paul’s Team Members: Companions, Laborers, and FellowWorkers . 96 Appendix 17 Getting a Firm Grasp of Scripture . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 Appendix 18 Spiritual Growth Diagram . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 Appendix 19 Personal Growth vs. Body Life: Connections . . . . . . . . 101 Appendix 20 Shoe Manufacturing Plant . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102 Appendix 21 Fit to Represent: Multiplying Disciples of the Kingdom of God . . 103 Appendix 22 From Deep Ignorance to Credible Witness . . . . . . . . 104 Appendix 23 Laws of Sowing and Reaping . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

8

Appendix 24 Roles of Effective Discipling . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106 Appendix 25 The Power of Multiplication: 2 Timothy 2.2 Discipleship Diagram . 107 Appendix 26 The Hump . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 Appendix 27 Principles of Spiritual Growth . . . . . . . . . . . . 109 Appendix 28 A Spiritual Warfare Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . 110

9

No Reserves, No Retreat, No Regrets: Introduction

The theme for our 2016 SIAFU Men’s Conference is No Reserves, No Retreat, No Regrets . Jesus of Nazareth, the living and risen Lord of all, is calling all people to a life of sacrifice and discipleship. He offers his kingdom blessings to all, even to those whom the enemy has enslaved to sin and bondage that no mere mortal could ever overcome. The Son of God was sent from heaven into this enemy-occupied territory in order to defeat Satan and his foes, to release the captives and set the prisoners free – to empower us to live free from the shackles and miseries of the devil’s cruelty. Now, as the victorious Champion of God who defeated the powers through his sinless life and saving death, Jesus calls us to join his “great campaign of sabotage,” a campaign to take back our cities for God. We will follow the storyline of Gladiator , a gripping movie tale of a general who became a slave, a slave who became a gladiator, and a gladiator that defied an emperor. As modern-day soldiers of Jesus Christ, we are called to a life of freedom, to a warfare that is constant, and to a struggle that will end in victory for those who endure. Christ’s call is a call to a discipleship that holds no reserves (giving full surrender to the Lord), that knows no retreat (holds its ground in the worst of battles), and owns no regrets (fights bravely till the end, no matter what). Come, and join the ranks of Christ’s men of honor, the brave and faithful who know what it takes to advance the Kingdom of God in our world today.

“What we do in life echoes in eternity.”

~ Maximus

As soldiers of Jesus, we trust in him alone. We hold nothing in reserve, never shrink back from any fight, and have no regrets for serving him as our Commander and Lord.

11

12 • No Reserves, No Retreat, No Regrets: SIAFU Men’s Conference 2016

No Reserves, No Retreat, No Regrets Don L. Davis (Lyrics) Bobby Gilmer (Music) Written for the attendees of the SIAFU Men’s Conference 2016

(Chorus) No reserves, no retreat, no regrets Army strong, we respond to the threat Gospel truth we display and confess No reserves, no retreat, no regrets (Verse) All we have we will give to the Lord All we need we will get from his word All we got we lay down for his praise All we want is to lift up his name

(Bridge) We won’t hold nothing back We will press the attack We won’t give in to fear We’ll make doubt disappear No reserves, no retreat Won’t accept no defeat No more fear, no regrets Crowns of life we collect

© 2016. Don L. Davis, Bobby Gilmer. All Rights Reserved.

S ESSION O UTLINES

Session 1 No Reserves Surrender All to Christ, Without Conditions Rev. Dr. Don L. Davis

Session 1 No Reserves Surrender All to Christ, Without Conditions

Our Confession of Allegiance

We confess Jesus of Nazareth as Lord, our Savior, God’s only Son, and our Master.

We believe that he died to redeem us, that he has risen from the dead, and that now he sits at God’s right hand as Lord and King.

Therefore, we cling to no reserves: all we are and all we have we surrender to him, without condition.

And we will never retreat: we will stand our ground in the daily struggle, by his grace, no matter what.

Finally, we hold no regrets: we do not yield to disappointment, for we know that what we gain is greater than anything in this world we might lose.

As soldiers of Jesus Christ, we will depend on him to help us represent his Kingdom, please him in our relationships and conduct, and make disciples wherever we go.

To him be the glory, forever. Amen!

15

16 • No Reserves, No Retreat, No Regrets: SIAFU Men’s Conference 2016

Session 1 No Reserves Surrender All to Christ, without Conditions Rev. Dr. Don L. Davis

Get Ready – You’re in the Fight of Your Life

The essence of all really great accomplishments is acting wisely and wholly in that moment that taxes you greatly. Every struggle that matters presents you with only a few options, and whatever you choose, you will reap a host of consequences, based on the choice you make. God has called every Christian to fight, to be a soldier, to engage the enemy with the armor that he himself has provided to all of us (Eph. 6.10-18). Victory demands that we consider the options, make our choice, and follow through with obedience and perseverance till the end. Thankfully, we do not have to fight alone. The weapons of our warfare are designed to provide us with the power to overcome (2 Cor. 10.3-5). • You can give up. When faced with some outward challenge, you can simply surrender to the fight; raise the white flag, and give yourself over to the enemy’s mercies (Gal. 6.7-10).

• You can give in. The sheer weight and pressure of the test can cause you inwardly to just give in to temptation; this kind of surrender is not from an enemy without, but due to your own issues within (1 Cor. 13.7; 2 Tim. 3.12; Acts 14.22). • You can give all you got to the Lord. Inspired by the example of Christ and his bond servants in the Scriptures and life, we can surrender all that we are and all we have to God, that he might do in and through us whatever he pleases (4.7; 1 Pet. 5.8-9).

As warriors of the Kingdom, we commit ourselves without condition to Jesus Christ, as both the Savior and Lord of all our lives.

Session 1: No Reserves • 17

As soldiers of Jesus Christ, called to Kingdom advance, we possess . . .

• No Reserves: we surrender all to Christ, without conditions • No Retreat: we stand our ground for Christ, no matter what • No Regrets: we lose everything for what really counts, without disappointment

I. Set the Stage: Why do men try to run things themselves, even when they have already made a mess of everything?

The American Sickness of Being Exceptional But Not Deep

The “show business,”which is so incorporated into our view of Christian work today, has caused us to drift far from Our Lord’s conception of discipleship. It is instilled in us to think that we have to do exceptional things for God; we have not. We have to be exceptional in ordinary things, to be holy in mean streets, among mean people, surrounded by sordid sinners. That is not learned in five minutes. ~ Oswald Chambers

What does it take for a man to finally admit that he cannot live a full, satisfying, and meaningful life without the Lord? God respects the will of a man. Although he could make every man respond to him with faith and commitment, he chooses to allow each man to determine his own direction. A man is a special part of his creation given the right to say yes or no to the offer of God Almighty!

18 • No Reserves, No Retreat, No Regrets: SIAFU Men’s Conference 2016

List some reasons why you think men refuse to turn their lives over to the Lord.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

II. Tell the Story: Joshua, the servant of the Lord, yielded everything he had to the Lord. He clung to no reserves .

A. Joshua and Caleb, young bucks: early on Joshua showed a whole- hearted devotion to the Lord.

1. He was drafted by Moses to be his apprentice and “chief of staff.”

a. First mentioned at the battle with Amalek, Exod. 17.9-10 – So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose for us men, and go out and fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.” [10] So Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought with Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. b. Became the servant of Moses, his “assistant”, Exod. 24.12-13 – The LORD said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and wait there, that I may give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction.” [13] So Moses rose with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up into the mountain of God.

Session 1: No Reserves • 19

2. The Lord’s commissioning and recognition of Joshua, Num. 27.18-23 – So the LORD said to Moses, “Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him. [19] Make him stand before Eleazar the priest and all the congregation, and you

shall commission him in their sight. [20] You shall invest him with some of your authority, that all the congregation of the people of Israel may obey. [21] And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire for him by the judgment of the Urim before the LORD. At his word they shall go out, and at his word they shall come in, both he and all the people of Israel with him, the whole congregation.” [22] And Moses did as the LORD commanded him. He took Joshua and made him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole congregation, [23] and he laid his hands on him and commissioned him as the LORD directed through Moses.

3. Was chosen by Moses to go with Caleb and ten others to spy out the land (took 40 days to check it out), Num. 13-14

4. The ten doubted but Caleb and Joshua believed: “They will be bread for us (i.e., “We gonna eat them up!”).

a. Num. 13.30-33 – But Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.” [31] Then the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are.” [32] So they brought to the people of Israel a bad report of the land that they had spied out, saying, “The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people that we saw in it are of great height. [33] And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them.”

20 • No Reserves, No Retreat, No Regrets: SIAFU Men’s Conference 2016

b. Num. 14.6-10 – And Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes [7] and said to all the congregation of the people of Israel, “The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceedingly good land. [8] If the LORD delights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey. [9] Only do not rebel against the LORD. And do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us. Their protection is removed from them, and the LORD is with us; do not fear them.” [10] Then all the congregation said to stone them with stones. But the glory of the LORD appeared at the tent of meeting to all the people of Israel.

5. Joshua from the start

determined to never sell out or give in; he was not a newbie, but rather a seasoned, tried, and proven young leader who sold out early to the Lord, even before the fight! His vic- tories are won by faith, not by his own might, 1 John 5.4 – For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith.

B. Joshua surrendered all to the Lord to serve as leader of God’s people after Moses’ death, Josh. 1.1-9.

1. Moses is dead; don’t cling to the old days, take your place as God’s man, Josh. 1.1-2 – After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, [2] “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel.

Session 1: No Reserves • 21

2. For the next phase of my will, you are my choice, and I’ll be with you, Josh. 1.3-5 – Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses. [4] From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory. [5] No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. 3. My goal is ambitious, everywhere you stand, that I will give you. Be strong and courageous, and meditate upon and obey my Word, Josh. 1.6-8 – Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. [7] Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. [8] This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

C. God encouraged Joshua’s heart to surrender with a constant refrain and charge: “Be strong and courageous!”

1. Joshua is told to be “strong and courageous” numerous times.

2. Moses tells him this, Deut. 31.6 – Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.

22 • No Reserves, No Retreat, No Regrets: SIAFU Men’s Conference 2016

3. The people tell Joshua to be strong and courageous, Josh. 1.18 – Whoever rebels against your commandment and disobeys your words, whatever you command him, shall be put to death. Only be strong and courageous.”

4. God repeatedly tells Joshua to be strong and courageous.

a. Deut. 31.23 – And the LORD commissioned Joshua the son of Nun and said, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall bring the people of Israel into the land that I swore to give them. I will be with you.”

b. Josh. 1.6-7 – Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. [7] Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go.

c. Josh. 1.9 – Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.

D. God guaranteed Joshua’s surrender with divine intervention: the Commander of the Lord’s Armies, Josh. 5-6.27.

1. Joshua does not go by himself;

God provides his own commander to lead the way, Josh. 5.13-15 – When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand. And

Session 1: No Reserves • 23

Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?” [14] And he said, “No; but I am the com- mander of the army of the LORD. Now I have come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, “What does my lord say to his servant?” [15] And the commander of the LORD’s army said to Joshua, “Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so. 2. God’s unique protocols of preparation for his warriors: sacrifice (thanksgiving to God), circumcision (cutting away of all fleshly help), and purity (recognizing the Lord is in our midst, Josh. 2-7), cf. Josh. 5.2-5 – At that time the LORD said to Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the sons of Israel a second time.” [3] So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the sons of Israel at Gibeath-haaraloth. [4] And this is the reason why Joshua circumcised them: all the males of the people who came out of Egypt, all the men of war, had died in the wilderness on the way after they had come out of Egypt. [5] Though all the people who came out had been circumcised, yet all the people who were born on the way in the wilderness after they had come out of Egypt had not been circumcised.

3. Rahab, the prostitute, protects the scouts and saves her own life, and

sees the lives of her family spared, Josh. 2.8-13.

4. The wall will fall down at Jericho and victory will be won (sore warriors and cycling around Jericho on foot, with trumpet blast – an unlikely war strategy! (Josh. 6), cf. Josh. 6.15-19 – On the seventh day they rose early, at the dawn of day, and marched around the city in the same manner seven times. It was only on that day that they marched around the city seven times. [16] And at the seventh time, when the

24 • No Reserves, No Retreat, No Regrets: SIAFU Men’s Conference 2016

priests had blown the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, “Shout, for the LORD has given you the city. [17] And the city and all that is within it shall be devoted to the LORD for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall live, because she hid the messengers whom we sent. [18] But you, keep yourselves from the things devoted to destruction, lest when you have devoted them you take any of the devoted things and make the camp of Israel a thing for destruction and bring trouble upon it.

[19] But all silver and gold, and every vessel of bronze and iron, are holy to the LORD; they shall go into the treasury of the LORD.”

5. God will stop the sun, and rain huge hailstones down upon the enemy (Josh. 10). (For those who surrender, the battle belongs to the Lord!, e.g., 1 Sam. 17.45-47 – Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47 and that all this assembly may know that the LORD saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give you into our hand.”)

E. Joshua’s surrender to God was fortified by God’s command to meditate on and obey his Word, Josh. 1.8.

1. God commanded Joshua to be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that God had given to the people through Moses, Josh. 1.7-8 – Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not

Session 1: No Reserves • 25

turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. [8] This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

2. The assurance of absolute surrender?: Josh. 1.9 – Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do

not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

3. The mission and task God

has for a person’s life can only be accomplished when that person turns over their life to God without condition , Deut. 11.24-25 – Every place on which the sole of

your foot treads shall be yours. Your territory shall be from the wilderness to the Lebanon and from the River, the river Euphrates, to the western sea.[25] No one shall be able to stand against you. The LORD your God will lay the fear of you and the dread of you on all the land that you shall tread, as he promised you.

The battle for your surrender is also the battle for your life.

26 • No Reserves, No Retreat, No Regrets: SIAFU Men’s Conference 2016

Let God have your life today – all of it that’s left.

Let God have your life; He can do more with it than you can.

~ Dwight L. Moody

The man or woman who is wholly or joyously surrendered to Christ can’t make a wrong choice – any choice will be the right one.

~ A. W. Tozer

You become stronger only when you become weaker. When you surrender your will to God, you discover the resources to do what God requires. ~ Erwin Lutzer

III. Hammer It Home: Hold back no reserves. Surrender all to Christ without condition.

A car is made to run on gasoline, and it would not run properly on anything else. Now God designed the human machine to run on Himself [emphasis mine]. He Himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn, or the food our spirits were designed to feed on. There is no other. That is why it is just no good asking God to make us happy in our own way without bothering about religion. God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing. ~ C. S. Lewis. Mere Christianity . from Notable Harbour In-Depth Studies, Joshua, WordSearch Digital Resources .

A. The Key Principle. Jesus is calling all people everywhere to discipleship, to come to him, receive salvation, and be equipped as his warrior, Matt. 16.24-27; cf. Luke 13.1-5.

1. We are saved by grace through faith, and that not of ourselves; the price of salvation is free – simple belief and clinging to God’s salvation offer given in his Son, John 3.16; 5.24; 6.35; Eph. 2.8-10.

Session 1: No Reserves • 27

2. What do you think this means? – “Grace is absolutely free but it will cost you everything ” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer).

3. Surrender to Christ is about defeating his cosmic enemy. Jesus’ offer of surrender is a part of his plan to defeat the powers that rebel against God and infest our world – liberating you is a part God’s liberation of everything, i.e., nature, systems, animals, humankind, all creation. To lose you is to lose part of his creation, and he ain’t having that! , 1 John 3.8; Luke 14.25-33; Matt. 6.33.

B. The Key Illustration: Do you function Canteen style or Nozzle style ?

1. Canteen style operates on the basis of a limited, prescribed amount that can be used up, and then needs to be refilled. (See Jer. 2.13 – for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.) Nozzle style , however, is about tapping into God’s unlimited power source, abiding in it, letting it flow through you. It is about hooking up to the source of power and having continuous divine supply. (Zech. 4.6 – Then he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts.)

2. Canteen style has to carefully measure out in particular units its contents in order to make it last; Nozzle style does not worry about the amount of the contents, but only that the

28 • No Reserves, No Retreat, No Regrets: SIAFU Men’s Conference 2016

nozzle is connected to the proper source. (Eph. 5.15-19 – Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, [16] making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. [17] Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. [18] And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.) 3. Canteen style has to constantly be refilled because it can only hold so much, making it hard to share with others; Nozzle style knows that once it is properly connected to a source, it can direct its content to whomever or wherever it is most needed. (John 7.37-39 – On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. [38] Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” [39] Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.)

C. The Key Implications

1. Jesus surrendered all that he had to the Lord in coming to the earth as God’s Suffering Servant, Phil. 2.5-6.

2. All who have been used have surrendered themselves to God without qualification.

a. Their time : Matt. 10.38-39 – And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. [39] Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

b. Their talent : Rev. 3.15-17 – “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! [16] So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. [17] For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.

Session 1: No Reserves • 29

c. Their treasure : Luke 5.11 – And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him; Luke 14.33 – So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.

3. Those who hold on to the things of this life and this world do not experience the fullness of Jesus’ liberation, freedom, and blessing, John 12.24-25 – Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.[25] Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

D. The Key Connections

1. Receive God’s offer of salvation – confess Jesus as Lord , Job 23.13 – But he is unchangeable, and who can turn him back? What he desires, that he does.

2. Surrender your life and future into the hands of the Lord , as if you were risen from the grave to live only for him, Prov. 19.21 – Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.

3. Start today to live as an obedient disciple of Jesus , doing the next thing you know that he wants of you, today, Heb. 3.7-12 – Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, “Today, if you hear his voice, [8] do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness, [9] where your fathers put me to the test and saw my works for forty years. [10] Therefore I was provoked with that generation, and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart; they have not known my ways.’[11] As I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter my rest.’” [12] Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.

30 • No Reserves, No Retreat, No Regrets: SIAFU Men’s Conference 2016

What does it mean to“Follow Jesus”?

Those who aren’t following Jesus aren’t his followers. It’s that simple. Followers follow, and those who don’t follow aren’t followers. To follow Jesus means to follow Jesus into a society where justice rules, where love shapes everything. To follow Jesus means to take up his dream and work for it. ~ Scot McKnight. One Life: Jesus Calls, We Follow Jesus-shaped spirituality hears Jesus say “believe and repent,” but the call that resonates most closely in the heart of a disciple is “follow me.”The command to follow requires that we take a daily journey in the company of other students. It demands that we be lifelong learners and that we commit to constant growth in spiritual maturity. Discipleship is a call to me, but it is a journey of “we.”

~ Michael Spencer. Mere Churchianity: Finding Your Way Back to Jesus-Shaped Spirituality.

Everything in Scripture is either preparation for the Gospel, presentation of the Gospel, or participation in the Gospel.

~ Dave Harvey

Die, or remain alone . . .

John 12.24-25 – Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.[25] Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

Session 1: No Reserves • 31

Welcome to theWar

Every Christian is a walking battlefield. Every believer carries deep within himself a terrible conflict. And most of us will gravitate to anything that will help us win the battle. Call it the battle between the flesh and the spirit. Call it the quest for the victorious Christian life. Call it what you want. But it’s a flat-out-knock-down-drag-out war. And when it’s over, you want to be among those who are still standing. The principles of war are taught in military academies all over the world. In most ways, spiritual warfare is no different than physical warfare. Every soldier who expects to not only survive but win must understand and employ these principles in his own daily battles “against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6.12b NIV).

~ Stu Webber. Spirit Warriors . Sisters, OR: Multnomah Publishers, 2001, p. 16.

As soldiers of Jesus Christ, called to Kingdom advance, we possess . . .

• No Reserves: we surrender all to Christ, without conditions • No Retreat: we stand our ground for Christ, no matter what • No Regrets: we lose everything for what really counts, without disappointment

32 • No Reserves, No Retreat, No Regrets: SIAFU Men’s Conference 2016

Session 1 Notes

Session 1: No Reserves • 33

Session 1 Notes

Session 2 No Retreat Stand Your Ground for Christ, No Matter What Rev. Dr. Don L. Davis

Session 2 No Retreat Stand Your Ground for Christ, No Matter What

Our Confession of Allegiance

We confess Jesus of Nazareth as Lord, our Savior, God’s only Son, and our Master.

We believe that he died to redeem us, that he has risen from the dead, and that now he sits at God’s right hand as Lord and King.

Therefore, we cling to no reserves: all we are and all we have we surrender to him, without condition.

And we will never retreat: we will stand our ground in the daily struggle, by his grace, no matter what.

Finally, we hold no regrets: we do not yield to disappointment, for we know that what we gain is greater than anything in this world we might lose.

As soldiers of Jesus Christ, we will depend on him to help us represent his Kingdom, please him in our relationships and conduct, and make disciples wherever we go.

To him be the glory, forever. Amen!

35

36 • No Reserves, No Retreat, No Regrets: SIAFU Men’s Conference 2016

Session 2 No Retreat Stand Your Ground for Christ, No Matter What Rev. Dr. Don L. Davis

Our Greatest Weakness: Giving Up Too Soon Before Victory

Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.

~ Thomas A. Edison

Giving up smoking is the easiest thing in the world. I know because I’ve done it thousands of times. ~ Mark Twain

We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort. ~ Jesse Owens Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. ~ Paul, Ephesians 3.20-21

We must learn that retreat is unacceptable. To be a soldier of Christ is to ever engage in battle against the enemy – the world, the flesh, and the devil.

As soldiers of Jesus Christ, called to Kingdom advance, we possess . . .

• No Reserves: we surrender all to Christ, without conditions • No Retreat: we stand our ground for Christ, no matter what • No Regrets: we lose everything for what really counts, without disappointment

Session 2: No Retreat • 37

I. Set the Stage: Why does it seem so easy to quit and give up sometimes, and really hard to stand up against the enemy?

First Signs of New Life: Learning to Take Sides

One of the consequences of sin is that it makes the sinner pity himself instead of causing him to turn to God. One of the first signs of new life is that the individual takes sides with God against himself. ~ Donald Grey Barnhouse

Answer why you think some Christians are prone to retreat.

T or F

1. I am most likely to give in to sin when I neglect spending time with my fellow soldiers in Christ.

T or F

2. Everyone who lives godly in Christ will certainly be tempted to quit.

T or F

3. The time the enemy is most likely to attack us is when we are broken and hurting, when we are humbled and yielded before the Lord. 4. The Word of God in the heart is the best remedy in fighting the temptation to give up in the midst of a fierce spiritual battle. 5. Fellowship with others can’t guarantee victory; if you win, you win for yourself, and if you lose, you lose for yourself.

T or F

T or F

T or F

6. Fervent, constant prayer is God’s antidote against giving in to fear, to retreat.

T or F

7. You can always say no to any temptation or attack the devil designs against us; we do not have to accept his lies in anything or in any matter.

38 • No Reserves, No Retreat, No Regrets: SIAFU Men’s Conference 2016

II. Tell the Story: Joshua never retreated or backed down, even in the face of constant trials, setbacks, and obstacles.

A. Joshua was built for battle : regardless of the odds or the situation, he was always on the attack.

1. Joshua with Caleb were on the attack even before they engaged the enemy: chosen as spies at Kadesh-Barnea, Num. 13-14.

2. Joshua moved God’s forces towards engagement, crossing the Jordan, sending spies to scout out the land, eventually hooking them up with Rahab, Josh. 2.1 – And Joshua the son of Nun sent two men secretly from Shittim as spies, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” And they went and came into the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab and lodged there.

3. Joshua prepared for war by allowing his guys to be circumcised before the battle, and then walking around Jericho in a silent parade before God delivered the city to him, sparing Rahab!, Josh. 5-6.

4. Joshua wins Jericho by the shout of the trumpets and the cry of the soldiers!, Josh. 6, cf. Josh. 6.20-25 – So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him,

Session 2: No Retreat • 39

and they captured the city. [21] Then they devoted all in the city to destruction, both men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys, with the edge of the sword. [22] But to the two men who had spied out the land, Joshua said, “Go into the prostitute’s house and bring out from there the woman and all who belong to her, as you swore to her.” [23] So the young men who had been spies went in and brought out Rahab and her father and mother and brothers and all who belonged to her. And they brought all her relatives and put them outside the camp of Israel. [24] And they burned the city with fire, and everything in it. Only the silver and gold, and the vessels of bronze and of iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the LORD. [25] But Rahab the prostitute and her father’s household and all who belonged to her, Joshua saved alive. And she has lived in Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

B. Joshua faced down defeat and setback with perseverance and heart: even in the face of horrible defeat and deception, Joshua stayed in the fight. 1. At the horrible defeat and set back at Ai with Achan, Joshua cries out to God, finds out the source of the problem, and deals with it thoroughly, Josh. 7.

a. Josh. 7.4-9 – So about three thousand men went up there from the people. And they fled before the men of Ai, [5] and the men of Ai killed about thirty-six of their men and chased them before the gate as far as Shebarim and struck them at the descent. And the hearts of the people melted and became as water. [6] Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the LORD until the evening, he and the elders of Israel. And they put dust on their heads. [7] And Joshua said, “Alas, O Lord GOD, why have you brought this people over the Jordan at all, to give us into the hands of the Amorites, to

40 • No Reserves, No Retreat, No Regrets: SIAFU Men’s Conference 2016

destroy us? Would that we had been content to dwell beyond the Jordan! [8] O Lord, what can I say, when Israel has turned their backs before their enemies! [9] For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it and will surround us and cut off our name from the earth. And what will you do for your great name?” b. Josh. 7.19-21 – Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to the LORD God of Israel and give praise to him. And tell me now what you have done; do not hide it from me.” [20] And Achan answered Joshua, “Truly I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and this is what I did: [21] when I saw among the spoil a beautiful cloak from Shinar, and 200 shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing 50 shekels, then I coveted them and took them. And see, they are hidden in the earth inside my tent, with the silver underneath.” c. Josh. 7.24-26 – And Joshua and all Israel with him took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver and the cloak and the bar of gold, and his sons and daughters and his oxen and donkeys and sheep and his tent and all that he had. And they brought them up to the Valley of Achor. [25] And Joshua said, “Why did you bring trouble on us? The LORD brings trouble on you today.” And all Israel stoned him with stones. They burned them with fire and stoned them with stones. [26] And they raised over him a great heap of stones that remains to this day. Then the LORD turned from his burning anger. Therefore, to this day the name of that place is called the Valley of Achor.

2. Though deceived by the Gibeonites, Joshua honors his treaty and whips the enemy throughout the entire southern area of warfare, Josh. 9-10.

Session 2: No Retreat • 41

a. The Gibeon deception and the treaty with them 9.1-26

b. Keeping his treaty with Gibeon, Josh defeats the Canaanite coalition army, 10.9-15.

c. God makes us victorious even after setbacks: he stepped in and defeated the Canaanite alliance with divine power: with hailstones, making the sun stand still, 10.9-15.

d. Joshua effectively wiped out the rest of the southern area resistance of the Canaanite nations, 10.16-42.

C. Joshua fights till the end with valor and focus: Joshua engaged the fight with courage and strength, and showed no respect for either the spoils or the weaponry of the enemy, Josh. 11.1-15.

1. He defeated the Canaanite kings and their cities, 11.1-5.

2. He hamstrung the enemy’s horses and burned their chariots, Josh. 11.6-9.

3. He captured Hazor and its king with the sword, devoted everything to destruction as Moses had given command (“they did not leave any who breathed”), and took all the spoil for plunder, 11.10-16.

4. Joshua had bucket loads of heavenly mojo: he simply did not play around when it came to accomplishing God’s will : Josh. 10.22-27 – Then Joshua said, “Open the mouth of the cave and bring those five kings out to me from the cave.” [23] And they did so, and brought those five kings out to him from the cave, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon. [24] And when they brought those kings out to Joshua, Joshua summoned all the men of Israel and said to the chiefs of the men of war who had gone with him, “Come near; put your feet on the necks of these kings.” Then they came near

42 • No Reserves, No Retreat, No Regrets: SIAFU Men’s Conference 2016

and put their feet on their necks. [25] And Joshua said to them, “Do not be afraid or dismayed; be strong and courageous. For thus the LORD will do to all your enemies against whom you fight.” [26] And afterward Joshua struck them and put them to death, and he hanged them on five trees. And they hung on the trees until evening. [27] But at the time of the going down of the sun, Joshua commanded, and they took them down from the trees and threw them into the cave where they had hidden themselves, and they set large stones against the mouth of the cave, which remain to this very day.

5. Christus Victor – To Christ be the victory!: Joshua’s wrap up summary, Josh. 11.16-12.24

6. “Waged war for a long time” against the Canaanites; never quit, never shrunk back, always persevered in the fight, cf. 11.18

D. Speed-bumps in your past don’t matter; it’s not where you’ve been, but your level of surrender: Achan versus Rahab.

1. The just will live by faith: Rahab (Josh. 2) with Achan

(Josh. 7). Rahab’s faith: Josh. 2.8-13 – Before the men lay down, she came up to them on the roof [9] and said to the men, “I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. [10] For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction. [11] And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the LORD your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath. [12] Now then, please swear to me by the LORD that, as I have dealt kindly with you, you also will deal kindly with